Unveiling the essentials of project management, this piece offers a deep dive into the world of Microsoft Project, a widely-used tool in the field. Explore the costs of training, career prospects, and the essential features of the software that make it a must-have skill for aspiring Project Managers.
Key Insights
- Microsoft Project is a vital project management software tool in the Microsoft Office suite, boasting a 66% project management software market share globally. It aids in task prioritization, defining expectations, managing resources, tracking budgets, and sharing team calendars.
- Project management is a rapidly expanding field, with the number of Project Manager jobs projected to increase by over 33% over the next five years. The Project Management Institute (PMI) estimates that over 22 million new project management jobs will be created by 2027.
- The average salary for a Project Manager is approximately $116,000 annually, more than double the national average across all occupations. This makes investment in project management training potentially lucrative.
- Training in Microsoft Project is essential to effectively manage complex projects, despite the software's familiar Microsoft Office interface. The cost of structured Microsoft Project training typically falls under $1000.
- Microsoft Project is fully integrated with other Microsoft Office programs and Microsoft Teams, simplifying team collaboration and file sharing. It comes with automatic scheduling features and incorporates the Microsoft Power BI dashboard for real-time data visualization and analysis.
- Variations in training cost depend on your learning method, the version of Microsoft Project you choose to use, and whether you opt for instructor-led courses or self-directed study. Course costs can range from around $120 to nearly $1,800, with popular providers including Noble Desktop, Career Centers, and ONLC Training Centers.
Are you looking to learn Microsoft Project?The cost of using Microsoft Project varies depending on your needs and which version you choose: Microsoft offers a downloadable software application with a one-time fee or a cloud-based subscription service. Beyond this, you’ll want to consider the cost of Microsoft Project training. Expect to spend no more than $1000 training in Microsoft Project as even structured courses typically cost hundreds. Read on to learn more about how much you can expect to spend on learning Microsoft Project.
What is Microsoft Project?
Microsoft Project is the project management software in the Microsoft Office suite of programs. Microsoft Project is the world's most widely-used project management software and has been since its release. MS Project currently has around a 66% project management software market share. Proficiency in Microsoft Project is a must-have skill for aspiring Project Managers.
Project management is a booming field: the number of Project Manager jobs is expected to increase by over 33% over the next five years. The Project Management Institute (PMI) predicts that over 22 million new project management jobs will be created by 2027. Project management is growing rapidly because more companies recognize the need for professional help managing projects. However, there are already more Project Manager positions than employees trained in project management.
Microsoft Project assists Project Managers in prioritizing tasks, defining expectations, delegating tasks, tracking and managing resources, creating and tracking budgets, and sharing calendars with your team. Project also includes project management methodology tools, such as kanban boards and Gantt charts. Some of Project’s major features include tools for project planning, communication and collaboration, progress tracking and reporting, roadmaps for project tracking, financial management and timesheets, and resource management.
Project is fully integrated with Microsoft Teams, allowing team members to share files, attend meetings, and chat easily. Its scheduling features are automatic, which can help teams stay on track with less direct supervision from the Project Manager. Project also incorporates the cutting-edge Microsoft Power BI dashboard, allowing project teams to visualize and analyze data in real-time.
While Microsoft Project may seem easy to learn because of its familiar Microsoft Office interface, you will need to learn its advanced features to use it effectively. Senior Project Managers praise its power to manage multiple complex projects. Developing your ability to manage complex projects is the key to a successful career in project management.
One of the biggest advantages of Microsoft Project is its full integration with other Microsoft Office programs. Microsoft Office is the most widely-used software suite in the world. If you’re serious about pursuing project management as a career, you’ll want to consider training in the entire suite of programs, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Read more about what Microsoft Project is and why you should learn it.
What Can You Do with Microsoft Project?
Project management is a hot career path: the Project Management Institute (PMI) predicts that over 22 million new Project Manager jobs will be created by 2027. Even without this 33% increase in job positions, there is already a significant talent gap in project management, with more companies seeking Project Managers than qualified candidates.
Another perk of a career in project management is a high salary: the average salary for a Project Manager is around $116,000 annually. That is more than double the national average of approximately $50,000 across all occupations. Training in project management could lead to a lucrative career.
Project Managers need to have many skills, including soft skills such as communication, leadership, and time management. Project Managers will also need to have advanced skills using Microsoft Project, the world’s most widely-used project management software tool, for decades.
Microsoft Project is the industry standard for managing complex and multiple projects. Its powerful project management features include interactive dashboards for project monitoring, integrated project timeline, task prioritization and delegation, team dashboard, report generation, resource tracking and management, and the Master Project Plan for managing multiple projects.
In-Depth Review of the Training Cost
Factors affect how much it costs to train in Microsoft Project. Prices vary based on whether you choose online resources, self-directed study, or an instructor-led course. First, you’ll need to acquire either a desktop version of the software or subscribe to one of Microsoft’s cloud-based subscription versions. Versions of Project can cost up to $55 a month per user or around $1200 for the collaborative version of the software.
Since Microsoft Project has a learning curve, you’ll need to train in using the program for effective project management. The cost of training will depend on how you choose to learn. There are free online resources that can help you start learning Microsoft Project, but you’ll need more structured training if you’ll be using Project professionally.
One advantage of choosing an in-person course is that often Project is provided for you. You won’t need to invest the money to get into the program before you start training. This could be especially useful for Apple users since Project is unavailable on that operating system.
The best option for training in Microsoft Project is a live course, either in-person or live online. Project functions like a relational database, meaning any data must be entered correctly from the start. Having an instructor can ensure you’re learning correctly from the very beginning. You can use Noble Desktop’s Classes Near Me tool to find Microsoft Project training in your area and live online to compare class prices. According to Classes Near Me, the cost of Microsoft Project courses ranges from around $120 to nearly $1,800.
If there are no in-person courses in your area, live online courses provide a great alternative. Because the class is live, it works like an in-person course. You’ll get hands-on instruction in real-time. You can ask questions. You can even receive feedback on your project data using screen sharing software; this perk is significant when learning Project since you must enter the data correctly from the beginning.
Career Centers is a tech and business school that offers Microsoft Project courses at their state-of-the-art campus in Midtown Manhattan and live online. All of their classes have expert instructors. For example, all their project management courses feature PMP-Certified Project Managers as instructors. Graduates can retake their course for free for up to one year to refresh their knowledge or further develop skills.
In Microsoft Project Level I, students are guided through the fundamentals of using Microsoft Project for project planning. In Microsoft Project Level II, students gain advanced mastery of using Microsoft Project for managing the Project LifeCycle. Each course costs around $230. With Career Centers, you could gain an advanced understanding of Microsoft Project and a digital certificate to demonstrate your mastery to potential employers for less than $500.
ONLC was one of the first IT training companies in the United States. They provide remote courses you can attend from home or one of their over 300 locations. To compare costs, ONLC Training Centers also offer two levels of Microsoft Project courses. ONLC offers a Microsoft Project Level I: Comprehensive Introduction, which costs around $800. ONLC’s Microsoft Project Level II: Mastering Project costs around $1500. The cost of training in Microsoft Project with ONLC is about $2,300.
Free Introductory Microsoft Project Course Online
If you’re not quite ready to commit to taking an entire course in Microsoft Project, there are free introductory courses online. Because these courses are free, you’ll be able to see if project management appeals to you without investing the time and money for a complete course.
Noble Desktop is a business, design, and coding school based in NYC. They offer free online seminars on various topics, including Microsoft Office. Project Managers use Microsoft Excel for budgeting projects, resource management, and creating charts and data visualizations. In Top 10 Beginner Excel Tricks You Need To Know, students learn essential tricks for harnessing more of the power of Microsoft Excel. Some tricks include creating charts, data validation, screenshots, navigation shortcuts, text and chart formatting, and tricks for streamlining your Excel workflow.
Free introductory Microsoft Project courses are typically uploaded to platforms like Udemy and YouTube. These courses can offer a great introduction to familiarizing yourself with the interface and features of Microsoft Project.
Read about more free Microsoft Project videos and online tutorials.
Learn Microsoft Project with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop
If you’re an aspiring Project Manager, you’ll need to train in Microsoft Project. NYIM is a business, design, and coding school based in NYC. They offer tech courses and bootcamps both live online or at their state-of-the-art campus in Midtown Manhattan.
All of NYIM’s courses have guaranteed small class sizes and are taught by instructors who are experts in their industry. NYIM uses a unique hands-on approach in which instructors give a “micro-lecture” and then immediately guide students through applying what they learned using real-world projects. Graduates can take advantage of NYIM’s “free retake” option, which allows them to retake the course for free for up to one year to refresh or further develop skills.
Live online courses are a great option if you don’t live in the NYC area. Because the class is happening live, it works exactly like an in-person class: you’ll be able to ask questions, interact with your instructor and classmates in real-time, and even receive direct feedback on your work using screen-sharing software.
NYIM offers many options for learning Microsoft Project and the other programs in the Microsoft Office suite. In their Microsoft Project Level I course, students learn essential project management concepts and the fundamentals of using Microsoft Project to manage projects. Some of the Project skills that graduates will develop include defining projects, creating and organizing tasks, analyzing task relationships, creating a work breakdown structure, creating a resource calendar, resource management, creating baselines, sharing project plans, and finalizing project plans. Graduates earn a Certificate of Completion, which is sharable on Linkedin and your Project Manager Resume.
NYIM’s Microsoft Project Level II covers more advanced techniques, including managing multiple projects. Instructors guide students through hands-on projects to develop skills using Microsoft Project to execute a project, monitor progress, control a project plan, create progress reports, and use advanced customized features. Graduates earn a Certificate of Completion to share on their Project Manager resume or Linkedin.
If you want to study project management or pursue project management education hours toward CAPM Certification, you should consider a course like Noble Desktop’s Project Management Bootcamp. A PMP-Certified instructor trains students in project management theories and methodologies to help them launch a new career as Project Managers. Topics covered include the Project Management LifeCycle, project scope, project planning, resource management, risk management, financial management, team management, and becoming a professional Project Manager.